All entries
2,158 entries so far, best known first. 3,227 more are on the list to be written. Narrow by region, kind, purpose, practitioner, belief world, occasion or how alive it is.
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
PurposeProtectionHealingSeeing and foretellingLuck and prosperityLove and attractionCursing and harmCleansing and purificationSpeaking with spirits and the deadChange and initiationBinding and oathsPower and authorityWonder and entertainment
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
BeliefHindu and TantricBuddhistJainMuslim and SufiJewishChristianSikhZoroastrianShinto and TaoistIndigenous and shamanicAfrican and Afro-diasporicPagan and NeopaganEsoteric and occultFolk and village customSecular and stageOther traditions
馃嚥馃嚞 Madagascar and 4 moreGeomancy
A cross-cultural system of divination using earth, sand, and landforms to read the future or align spaces.Oracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 3 moreCleromancy
A divination method that uses random chance to reveal divine willOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚠馃嚦 IndiaNechung Oracle嘟傕綋嘟︵紜嘟嗋酱嘟勦紜嘟忇紜嘟栢境嗉嬥綐
The official prophetic medium and spiritual advisor to Tibet's Dalai LamaOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Protection Living
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 3 moreOracle
A person or site believed to channel divine insight and predict the future.Oracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚥馃嚞 MadagascarSikidy
An algebraic geomancy practiced by Malagasy peoples using seeds to read fate and prescribe remediesOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Protection Living
馃嚦馃嚞 Nigeria and 5 moreIf谩
A Yoruba divination system using palm nuts to access spiritual guidanceTradition 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚚馃嚦 China and 1 moreScapulimancy
Divination using animal shoulder blades, practiced across Asia and the Americas.Oracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 3 morePyromancy
Divination by reading flames, smoke, or fire-heated objectsOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚦馃嚞 NigeriaIfa divination (sample)If谩
A system of verses and divining chains.Tradition 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Healing Living
馃嚚馃嚦 ChinaI Ching divination
A Chinese oracle using hexagrams derived from yarrow stalks or coinsOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚫馃嚛 SudanBenge
A divination method among the Azande using a poisoned chicken to identify witches.Oracle 路 Cursing and harm Fading
馃嚚馃嚥 Cameroon and 2 moreNggam
A divination practice in western Cameroon using spiders and crabs to answer questionsOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling Living
馃嚠馃嚪 Iran and 5 moreHippomancy
Divination through the movements, sounds, and tracks of horsesOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreAfrican divination
Methods used across the continent to understand present realities and predict future events.Oracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Healing Living
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptScatomancy
A divination method that reads fortunes by examining bodily excrement or animal waste.Oracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Healing Historical
馃嚞馃嚪 GreeceTrophonius韦蟻慰蠁蠋谓喂慰蟼
A Greek hero turned subterranean oracle god at LebadeaFigure 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Divination: Amcaja, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- If谩: Toluaye, Public domain, source
- I Ching divination: A.Davey, CC BY 2.0, source
- Scapulimancy: Albert Peter Low, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Hippomancy: Wer?Du?!, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Nechung Oracle: Christopher Michel, CC BY 2.0, source
- Oracle: John William Waterhouse, Public domain, source
- African divination: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Cleromancy: Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Public domain, source
- Sikidy: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Geomancy: Jacopo188, CC BY-SA 3.0, source